Higher Participation in Minn. Choice Programs Reported

More than 113,000 Minnesota students and their families actively
selected a public school in 1992-93, according to a report released
last week.

The level of participation found in the state's path-breaking
public-school-choice programs is far higher than previous
estimates.

The study is the latest salvo in a heated debate about how many
students have benefited from choice programs. Previous reports, which
focused on the number of Minnesota students transferring across school
districts, found that fewer than 2 percent of youngsters--or about
13,000 students--exercised that option in 1991-92.

The new study, by the Center for School Change at the University of
Minnesota, counted students who participated in all forms of local and
statewide choice programs, including choice within districts.

Joe Nathan, the center's director and a prominent advocate of public
school choice, described the findings as "enormously encouraging.''

Options Blossom

The study found that the number of educational options available to
Minnesota students has grown by more than 150 percent since 1985, when
the state passed its open-enrollment law. In 1985-86, 107 choices were
available to students across the state; by 1992-93, there were 270.

These include "second chance'' programs for students who have fared
poorly in traditional settings, postsecondary-enrollment options that
enable high school students to take college courses for credit, and
"schools within schools.''

Although most choices continue to be clustered around the state's
larger metropolitan areas, such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, the number of
rural schools within schools also increased from zero in 1985 to 11 in
1992-93.

In 1985-86, only 38 districts offered students an option of any
type, according to the report. By 1992-93, nearly a quarter of the
state's 394 districts offered some type of choice to students.

Some of the greatest growth has been among the second-chance
programs. The number of students using such programs increased from
6,265 in 1990-91 to 14,016 in 1992-93.

The study also reported modest but steady growth in the number of
students transferring across districts.

Mr. Nathan said the figures in the study were conservative, noting
that, in districts that offered only one alternative for students, it
counted as "actively using choice'' only those students who elected to
attend the nontraditional setting.

While citing anecdotal evidence that choice has benefited students
and teachers, the report says data on academic achievement were not
available.

Copies of the report are available for $6 each, including postage
and handling, from the Center for School Change, University of
Minnesota, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55455; (612)
626-1834.

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